Does the Protection of Human Rights challenge Countering Violent Extremism? The case of Far-Right Ha

Arduous times for United Kingdom`s national immigration and penalty systems. The global anxiety towards Islamic State (IS) extremism is encouraging Islamophobic hate crimes and counter far-right reactions in the state, according to Home Office official. British department announced that the government will bring more attention to global jihadist agenda but there is a risk to pass by the control over increasing local far-right cases.

In August, the national programme Tell MAMA UK reported sustain data of 219 reports of abuse incidents targeted at Muslims in England – the same month as IS execution of US journalist James Foley. According the statistics, this amount is almost double by comparison with previously recorded incidents in January 2014.

Later in September, far-right activists were protesting against the illegal immigration in UK by blockading the British port town of Dover. The protest was taking place in one of the biggest borders between UK and France, so to stand against the drastic financial measures which have been imposed to truck drivers if illegal immigrants can be found hiding in their vehicles. While there is no direct connection to other political or activist groups, the demonstration attracted the attention to other British groups, associated with far-right political extremism (e.g. Britain First Party (BFP), English Defence League (EDL) and British National Party (BNP)).

Furthermore, the decision of some locals in Dudley, a town in West Midlands County, to grant a planning permission so to build a new mosque almost went down the drain after the threat of BFP to burn a pig at the building place as an expression of their political opinion towards Christian- Muslims equal rights. Although the party is not an old member of the traditional English far-right politics, its specific militaristic approach to antagonise Muslims is already highly recognizable among other extremist bodies. BFP is a separate group but it still does have connection to the BNP and the EDL. The party was behind the launch of the Protestant Coalition in Belfast in 2013 but it started to be active again after the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in May 2013.

In one of his LBC broadcast emissions, the UKIP leader Nigel Farage explained that growing illegal immigration in UK is due to EU`s legislation that allows complete rights of free movement within the zone. The current obstacles are not only from demographic, financial and social character but a question of national security. According to him, the immigrants from Calais, a town in Northern France, are trying to come in England, because of the state`s moderate diplomatic policy which gives amnesty to all illegal immigrants. British government is forced to follow such international political course by two main reasons: the restriction of seizing foreign criminals who enter the state and the EU human right legislation. Namely, these two aspects of the European universal juridical criteria are creating serious hitch since the last 10 years and make difficult the contemporary multinational dialogue.

Origins of British Hate Muslims Campaign and Fear of Radical Islamism

If we take the present affairs in Britain as a case from crime and defence substance then we should attempt to define the real essence that inspires such legislative confrontation on both institutional and public level.

The local struggles with Muslim minorities in UK are not a new obstacle for governmental agencies. With the settlement of first Muslim groups in Britain the relations with non-Muslim communities have faced numerous critical periods. Examples for violent conflicts with BNP and ethnical tension related to demands for better housing and job opportunities already emerged in the 1980s and the 2001 race riots in Oldham, Leeds and Bradford cities. Recent data and analysis proposed by Tell MAMA UK have shed some much needed light on how international socioeconomic and political climate reflects on domestic affairs in one of EU member states but they also clearly verify the importance of Muslims` religious recognition by the welfare state.

According to the 2001 census, 95 percent of Muslims recognize religion to be very or fairly significant part of their lives. Among all ethnical minorities only family was considered as higher factor than religion when speaking of identity and self-determination. In this context, radical Islamic groups not only in UK but in other countries can profit from certain stages of social, political or economic disaffection so to interpret these issues as simple moral terms. Both report and researches validate that today`s radical Islamism is gaining mainly from young British Muslims who have restricted knowledge of Islam and from general states` condition of institutional unawareness. Despite this ideological and formal misconception, Islamic terrorism does not necessarily take the form of cleric association or a radical group. Contemporary extremists also find their way to break away from intelligence and law enforcement agencies through the aid of digital materials and indirect messages.

Current worldwide events and the emergence of IS created serious challenges for European and national security services but this fact should not be recognized as a sufficient reason to allow aggressive and Islamophobic expressions to get more intensive or to put in danger civil affairs in England.

The Difficult Task to Protect Human Rights and to Define Terrorism

As previously noticed, violent acts and protests against Muslims minorities and illegal immigration in Britain attracted the attention of diverse activist groups, including far-right extremists.

If we assume, as the UKIP leader did, that this aggressive public and political revival is related to English governmental obligation to follow the EU guidance regarding international crime and human rights legislation then we should make clear why there is such a strong request to respect these universal regulations.

The idea of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) initially relies on the principle that to guarantee security there is first a need of multi-dimensional approach. Such method does not necessarily assure a balance between liberty and security or presume that freedom, or aspects of it, must be neglected in name of safety and security. Hence, human right standards, collective or individual, are inseparable part of each nation and they should be taken under consideration while countering terrorism.

Although the international community has ratified numerous universal treaties related to specific terroristic threats (e.g. to make decisions on the execution of suicide attacks or hijacking of aircraft) the United Nations still have not established an official definition of terrorism. There is a lack of such definition in international law, despite the efforts of international organizations and institutions to achieve one. Another issue is that the notion of anti-terroristic act itself simply does not possess certain characteristics of collaboration between states (e.g. intelligence sharing, mutual legal assistance, asset freezing and confiscation and extradition).

One reason why the UK government executes such a moderate policy by giving amnesty to all illegal immigrants is due to legitimate measures related to the use of violence. From historical and global political perspective, most struggles for independence from colonialism and declarations of self-determination were in result of some form of violent action that has been and still can be described as terrorism. Since the Geneva Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide (1937) until nowadays, terrorism refers to all criminal acts addressed against a state and intended or predicted to create a state of terror in the minds of particular individuals, groups or the general public. At the same time, a too broad definition of terrorism can be used to limit non-violent dissent and weaken democratic societies.

To Manage Terrorism through Stable Politics and Effective Administration

Combating violent extremism is a combination of numerous risk sides that both political leaders and governments must pay attention on (i.e. policy-making injustices, structural inequalities, ethnic tensions and feelings of cultural humiliation). To counter radical extremism is a long-term process which not only requires political patience and administrative willingness but also involves such democratic aspects as freedom of expression and tolerance between groups and individuals. Although the last two structural components related to equality between citizens and protection of human rights are troubling EU`s security agencies with their universal legislative nature, the true reason for present international complex matters refers mainly to the governmental manner of recognizing terrorism as part of common political affairs.

Events in UK are some real examples which concern the essential role of administration as an effective tool for good functioning of the democratic welfare apparatus. Only through institutional accountability can be achieved a mutual counter-terrorism policy that will also able to respond the local matters. One solution for England to manage with far-right extremism can be found into the political participation of Muslims and their investment in the national political process. Through further institutional encouragement of such process citizens will feel more participative and active in their public role of determining own personal or collective future in certain country of citizenship. At last, through an administrative engagement with the minority groups` leaders and structures, there will be a guarantee of positive answer from the Muslim`s side that their concerns are effectively voiced and listened to.

References

Allen, C. ’Britain First: the party taking far-right politics to new lows’, The Conversation, 13 Nov, <https://theconversation.com/britain-first-the-party-taking-far-right-politics-to-new-lows-34210> (14.11.2014)

Cooper, J. (2007) Countering Terrorism, Protecting Human Rights. Poland: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

EastWest Institute. Countering Violent Extremism. Lessons from the Abrahamic Faiths. EWI Policy Research Report. 2007.

‘Far-right to blockade UK-French border in anti-immigration rally ‘in support of truckers’’, RT, 24 Sept, <http://rt.com/uk/190220-dover-port-block-immigration/> (10.11.2014)

Nigel Farage: Live on LBC. LBC Studio. YouTube. 24 Oct 2014. Broadcast Emission. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-KD5fdyw2k>

‘Someone will react’: ISIS fuels British far-right extremism’, RT, 18 Sept, <http://rt.com/uk/188672-isis-right-extremism-uk/> (10.11.2014)